December 2010

December came and went in a FLASH! I felt like the first part of the month was spent drowning in countless hours planning the mother of all events...our Ward Christmas Around the World Party. Being the Activities Coordinator for the Bloomfield Hills 1st Ward is no minor task, I must say, but I was ready and excited for the challenge. The first thing I was told when I moved into this ward was, "Oh, just wait for our Ward Christmas Party...it is BEYOND anything you can ever imagine!" I was intrigued and excited about this ward party UNTIL I was called by the Bishop in September to be the Activity Director. I mean, really? Me? I have never experienced this calling, I have no husband around, and haven't the slightest clue of people, their abilities, talents, and willingness to help. But with much prayer, amazing help, and a miracle, the Party came together and was Stellar! Or so I hear. The sad thing was that I worked myself too hard for too long, and come the day of the party I was as sick as a dog! No, I did not even get to attend the Party. It was like being pregnant 9 months then never getting to see the birth of your party/child. Yes, I was devastated and yes I cried like a blubbering baby. But I must admit something. I think that because I was confident in my committee, I was confident that I had planned everything to a T, and confident that I worked my tail off even up to the last hour before the party started, oddly I was OKAY. As I stood on the driveway holding Victoria in my arms, having Elisabeth throwing up in the house, all the while waving good bye to my darling husband and precious Madie I felt this load instantly lifted from my shoulders. I knew I did my best and worked my hardest. My sorrow for not being able to attend quickly turned into peace and relief. I felt like I could finally sit down, relax, and start to enjoy the Holidays with my girls. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why are the holidays always jammed packed full of planning school parties, friend parties, church parties, work parties, and more. If you ask me it is quite ridiculous. Now for those of you who know me know that I LOVE to party! But I committed myself for the rest of December to sit down, take a breath, and cherish the little moments with my kiddos and husband. And so the month went on.....


After talking with a few friends I must admit that I was a little nervous for holidays, this being our first time to celebrate Christmas on our own without a home full of extended family. The idea sounded really amazing to me but I was nervous to see if this "idea I invisioned" was going to pan out to be all that I had hoped. Well guess what? IT DID! It was absolutely GLORIOUS! I get emotional just thinking about it! Seriously I must say that this was by far the most memorable and touching Christmas yet. Our focus was our family and the Savior. On Christmas Eve as I prepared the Swedish meal, Dan decided that he wanted to start a new tradition with the girls with hopes to keep it every year. He quickly realized why B.O.B. was his new best friend as he took them all out for lunch at a restaurant of their choice, then to the store to choose new PJ's, and then off to find mommy a gift. He came home and told me that they turned a few heads at the sight of a dad and his 3 girls! It was great for him to spend that time with his little ladies, and great for me to cook and clean in peace, with no distractions or urgency. If I remember correctly I think I even watched a little t.v. too! That night we ate our dinner in PJ's, read our new Christmas stories, read in the Bible about Christ's birth , opened family presents, and were off to bed at a normal hour. Dan and I spent the next few hours building and setting up, preparing for our good friend St. Nick. Why in the world are kids toys so hard to build? Ugh it is the worst! ( I must quickly mention that I told Madeleine that we personally "know" Santa. I explained to her in a really fast and long winded run on sentence that since our Grandpa Arrhenius is from Sweden, which is really far away, he and Santa have been life long friends. I told her that we have "Special Connections" , hence why he sometimes calls me while the girls are at school just to check in on them and to see how they are doing. With a little hesitation at first , a smile pulled through that was filled with excitement from Madeleine. I guess she really was excited about this because she came home from school one day and told me that she told her class that we personally knwo Santa and that he calls my mommy. It is safe to say that Madie was the envy of every kid in class and that it also is safe to say that I was probably the laugh of every mom of those children. Ahh it seemed fun to tell at the time when Grandpa Rawson pretended to call and be Santa. )


Christmas day came and we spent dinner with some close friends and did as we pleased. We are lucky that Dan was not on call on Christmas day. I am not sure how we dodged that bullet, but I will take it!